Between the 7th and 8th of January 2020 two elderly residents of Buriton and East Meon have been targeted by fraudsters purporting to be from the Metropolitan Police. This scam is known as “Courier Fraud” and comes in various forms.
Essentially, the victim is contacted by someone purporting to be a police officer and they are informed that Police have identified an issue with their account / someone has been arrested using a cloned bank card for their account / corrupt member of staff at their Bank. The victim is then asked to withdraw a large amount of money from their account and hand it over to the “Officer”.
Remember – Police will NEVER ask you to withdraw money and hand it over for evidence / safekeeping.
Crime prevention and advice regarding fraud can be found on the Hampshire Constabulary website on www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/ or, alternatively, for more information and help or to report this and many other types of fraud, go to Action Fraud www.actionfraud.police.uk/, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.
Please ensure you are vigilant at all times, calling Police to report any suspicious activity, not just around your own property but anything suspicious in your residential area and community. In an emergency use 999 or 101 for non-emergency.
It is never too late to report any suspicious activity to the Police.
RMS References 44200008929 (Buriton) & 44200008658 (East Meon) refers to the above incidents if you have any information that could assist with the investigation
